Page 125 of The Renter
“You can be narrow-minded.”
“Agh!” I scoff. “Well, it’s not like you could date me anyway because I’m with Adam.”
“How much more time are you going to waste with him?”
“Fuck off. You can leave now.”
“Not until we get to your apartment.”
“Agh!” I huff, and we keep walking. “Why did you bid on the painting?” I ask, at my wit’s end with him. But it’s a question I’ve been thinking about since the gala.
I can tell he’s holding back his response as we continue to walk. “You’re happy?” he finally asks. It’s a yes-or-no question, but my mind races with all the gray in it.
“Very.” I attempt to assert, but I don’t believe it as I say it, and unfortunately, I think Declan hears the lie too.
He shakes his head, his jaw tightening. I expect him to call me on it, to say something that will get me all riled up. But instead, he turns and walks away from my building’s entrance, leaving me in an existential crisis.
106
With each ring, I wonder more and more if she’s ignoring me, punishing me for leaving her at the restaurant.
“I’m so sorry,” I say the moment she answers. “We’re days away from this deal being done, and then I’m all yours. How did dinner go?”
“Kate Albert joined me.”
I almost make a quip about Kate, knowing they had a threesome, but I know it’s not the right time.
“It was great to catch up,” she adds, sounding happy. Relief washes over me momentarily, knowing she had a nice evening after all.
I also know it’s not the right time, but I need any form of status update on how my pet project is doing. “Any update on Geoff?”
She scoffs, annoyed, then says, “He seems into it but is hesitant to have outside influence.”
“Thanks. Geoff’s ignoring me, so this update is useful. So tell me, how bad was I? What expensive bottle did you stick me with?”
“Fuck you.” It’s not playful. She means it, the words carrying a grudge. I take a deep breath. “Are you still at the office?” she asks after I don’t respond.
“Yes.”
“Sleepover at my place tonight?” she asks, and I’ve never heard sadness like this in her voice before. I take another deep breath, feeling upset for both of us.
Looking at my watch, I see it’s already 10:00 p.m. “I’ll be there within the hour.” My words are a compromise we both know is inadequate.
107
Tuesday, October 25th
Adam came in so late last night that I barely woke up before drifting back to sleep. It was more than an hour, that’s for sure. The guy I met at the cottage wasn’t Adam Harris. I fell for “Vacation Adam,” a guy who didn’t have a care in the world outside of making me come. Now, I’m sort of engaged to another guy. “Venture Capitalist Adam” only cares about money and power, not me.
“I’m lonely,” I confess. My voice is barely a whisper.
He rolls over in my bed, propping his head up with his hand. We stare at each other for a moment before he finally says, “Why don’t you redecorate one of the rooms?”
Seriously?
“I said I’m lonely, not bored!” The distinction, sharp and clear, hangs heavy in the air. “I don’t feel like a priority.”
“This is what life is like with me.”
